It isn’t Just For You

It is Especially Helpful When Leading In Times Of Crises

Because of the current crisis, one more post is being made to this blog before tackling the rudiments of leadership in learning the laws that govern it, the principles that enable it to thrive, and practices that produce well for results and relationship.  Because crises are a norm in the journey of every life, including that of a leader, this insert, this parenthesis, is placed here when it could be an appendix to every leader’s operations manual in life leadership. 

The human experience is amazing.  It can be such a wide extreme of experiences from anxiety driven incapacitation to celestial heights of grandeur in triumphs.  The dominant and recessive norms of each person’s natural bent stimulated by the broadband of human experience strokes one’s emotions at every level in some form.  But there is a common element for all regardless of one’s dominant and recessive norms in perception or emotional moment. In the journey of life there is a common human need to know where one is in the moment.  Understanding this need is essential to be successful while leading in a crisis. In simple language, it is the ability to have a reference point from which one may discern their current situation.  

It is like a small child that doesn’t want their parents’ dominating presence, but that child sure wants the parents’ reference point, to know the parent can be found when wanted.  Last week I witnessed my youngest toddler granddaughter running on the sidewalk, feeling the wind in her face and sunshine on her back. She heeded her parents’ warning to stay away from the street only enough to obey them by staying on the sidewalk, but not enough to stop while running several feet beyond where her parents told her she could go.  Everything was fine until she fell, slapping her hands and scrubbing her knees on the rough concrete. The lower lip began to tremble, and a tear was trying to get out of her eye, until Daddy said, “Here, let me kiss that hand. You’re not hurt. You’re okay.”, and with a quick hug from Momma, she was up and running again. Much as adults like to think they are past the needs of an immature child; humans never escape that basic human need.

Therefore, it is critically important that leaders learn to lead in crises because of the common human experience.  Every human will either encounter a crisis or do things that create one. It is inevitable. But what can we do as leaders in effective leadership during a crisis?  A leader is much like a person who steers those following from the destruction of wind and rain of a hurricane into the eye of the hurricane. The world is being torn apart all around them and they are calm in a place where the storm can’t reach them, moving along in the eye of the storm until its destructive force is exhausted and it dissipates.

Good leadership is like a well-fitting shoe, boot or a favorite garment.  It just feels good. We like it. I have traveled locally, meaning mostly within this continent, all my life.  In my first career, annual road time was about 50,000 miles per year for 21 years. In my current career as a Superintendent over the past 22 years travels have ranged from as low as 25,000 miles in the beginning to well over 65,000 miles in peak years.  For more than one million of those 2 million miles it was accomplished without the benefit of a GPS. However, today I am comforted using a GPS. It gives me reassurance of an estimated time of arrival, expected challenges along the way, alternate routes that could work better, etc.  Likewise, quality leadership in a crisis is invaluable to those being served.

Like my toddler granddaughter, in times of crises people need reassurance there is someone present who can reassure them of the reality they are facing and what can be done about it.  So much of a leader’s time and education are spent in preparing for and accomplishing special projects, managing teams, and doing great things and so little time is used to prepare for the inevitable moments of a crisis.  However, in a crisis the leader must keep the vision before the people while being extremely sensitive to their needs. Sometimes their needs are not what they think they need. My granddaughter thought she needed to cry, get some bandages and maybe something for pain, when all she really needed was to be assured, she was fine.   There were no bleeding or broken bones, just some redness on the skin that disappeared into a slight bruise later. Her system was well able to handle the momentary crisis. But her parents were there if more was needed.

From the song “House At Pooh Corner”, Loggains and Messina sang, “Winnie the Pooh doesn’t know what to do got a honey jar stuck on his nose…”.  But Winnie-the-Pooh has a few philosophical words worthy of sharing with your people that are more relevant now than ever: “Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”  People need reassurance.

Here is a key point in leading during a crisis.  Whatever is shared, it must be true. It may be painted in a perspective that allows people to assimilate the information for better choices.  It may be accompanied by plans of how to overcome adversity. But it must be true.

Jim Haudan provides some specifics of quality leadership behaviors during a crisis.  Below is his list. These will be helpful in your leadership.

1. Don’t ignore the anxiety people feel. This only magnifies it.

2. Actively define reality.

3. Create a new starting line with your people.

4. Use urgency as an alignment ally.

5. Establish new check-in routines.

6. Celebrate all victories, large and small.

7. Scout the possibilities.

8. Communicate the score.

9. Highlight the rays of light.

You can read more here:

https://www.rootinc.com/blog/leading-your-people-in-times-of-crisis/?utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=blog&gclid=Cj0KCQjw6_vzBRCIARIsAOs54z7PpiuDMAF2XPhcjvp98LWy_bsyF63n3_uVtXggBu-hJRWOrmB2SswaAnAjEALw_wcB

While having a leadership GPS is needful for you to know where you stand in serving others, it isn’t just for you.  Those you serve need to be continually updated about where they are, what is the reality, what can be expected next, and hopes of completing this journey through a crisis.  You are there to lead them and provide the assurance they need. Yes, they have that in Jesus Christ and so do you. But people need a tangible point of contact in times of crisis.  Sensory perceptions are being taxed and compromised by the crisis and a human presence as a leader is essential for their best passage on the journey through a crisis.  

Go and lead with confidence using your leadership GPS for you and all those you influence.